But we do have plenty of potatoes, a few of which we ate last night for dinner (YUM) and the rest of which are on the dining room floor. They had to be brought inside last night because it got down to about 20 degrees and you don't want your seed potatoes to freeze. So thanks to the definitely-winter-though-it-should-be-spring weather, we will not be planting these potatoes anytime soon, but we have them! We're ready! YAY!
News Item Number Two: Yesterday, I attempted to extract lanolin from sheep's wool. You should never try this in your house. I will emphasize that: You should never try this in your house.
Let me tell you why: It smells. OH MY GOD DOES IT SMELL. The process basically involves boiling the hell out of a dirty sheep fleece, so I don't know why I was surprised at how much it reeked, but I suppose I wasn't prepared for that pervasive of a stench. The whole house smelled like dirty sheep to the power of a thousand. It was really, really gross. Plus, the pot boiled over when it was getting up to a boil on the stove in the kitchen and filthy sheep water went EVERYdamnwhere. Ew.
And THEN, after keeping the nasty thing boiling on the woodstove for three hours and stinking up the whole house, what's my reward? Essentially nothing. I didn't even bother skimming off the paltry amount of lanolin that ended up on the top of the water. BOO.
I declare lanolin extraction a failure. But at least I can comfort myself that my failures are a learning experience for so many others! You know, those countless numbers that have dirty sheep wool lying about and are thinking of trying to get lanolin from it. And read this site. Anyone?
Just imagine what the commercial institution that does this work smells like (and their employees) at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteI think some breeds have more grease than others. Also, they must be working with tons of wool, rather than a pot full. With your experience in mind, I will not attempt lanolin extraction.
ReplyDeleteCocoa butter may not be local, but it smells so good!
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ReplyDeleteDo you guys ever save seeds from season to season? As a gardener, I've never done it, usually buying new seeds, but I'd like to start.
ReplyDeleteThey were extracting lanolin when we took the girls to Hale Farm and Village. It was in a pot over an open fire outside. She'd be at it for days on end after shearing. Did not look like fun.
ReplyDeleteWord verification: corigu -- name of the wrinkles on corrugated tin roofs, or corrugated cardboard boxes.
That number may be in the billions..they just don't comment.
ReplyDeleteI feel safe in saying, I will NOT be getting sheep just to try that.
Glad you don't mind :) doing things like this so we don't have to.Beth
word verification-pregis
with child or lamb as the case may be
Hubs here has a question for A.
ReplyDeleteIs he going to get a hemi upgrade in his new ram?
He thought it was clever anyway.
Beth
The only seeds I have ever saved are from the Chioggia pumpkins. Potatoes in particular are safer to buy new as seed every year, to avoid diseases.
ReplyDeleteYou lost me when you said "boil dirty sheep's wool".
ReplyDeleteWet wool is on my short list of MOST HATED THINGS so the thought of it live and in person stewing on my stove makes me suicidal.
I can't even imagine the horror of that stench.
I'm glad you've survived.